The Forbidden Kingdom 2 New and Updated Version
by Firestar'sniece
Summary: A new and improved version since I didn't like the previous version. I thought the first few chapters were terrible considering what I have planned. I've changed it. Jason and Golden Sparrow are recalled to the Forbidden Kingdom to resolve a conflict. On hiatus, possible deletion.
1. Chapter 1

Dear everybody, I deleted the previous story because I wanted to start completely over. So here is the new improvised version.

The Forbidden Kingdom 2

Prologue

In the days before the Monkey King was born out of the mountain of fruit and flowers, long before the Jade emperor ruled, long before humankind or the eight immortals even existed the world was not solid, but was color. Each color was a magic that was dark and deep, a chi magic that could not be restrained by any mortal or immortal. But as the world solidified those who became immortal found that they could master portions of it.

It was this unpredictable magic that some could use, never control or master, but access. They were born apart of it. It was this magic also that created certain things, the peach fruit from whence the immortal elixir came from, the mountain of fruit and flowers, even other immortal secrets and things that could make one immortal. In countries far away they talked about the fountain of youth, and this too was part of that magic.

Sometimes the magic was destined to be held by others. But whom it could be held by could never be predicted. Well, almost never. There was one who held the power to see such things. She could see them because whoever held this power could change things that would affect humankind in many ways.

Her name was Amaterasu and later she became known in Japanese mythology as the sun goddess. But in reality she was a very powerful immortal, the first of the immortals, and one that was forgotten. She was not counted among the eight immortals, in fact the eight immortals knew nothing of her existence. Not even the Jade emperor knew.

No, she was too powerful for them and she wandered off in her own fantasies. But one power she had also, which was why she was called a goddess and not an immortal. She had power over life, the creation of new life, new creatures, and she had the power to weave chi magic into the essence of an unborn, child, giving them the ability to have access to this magic. She was all powerful. It was she who gave the eight immortals this power.

And she could take it away too if it weren't for that she could not bear to do so to another person. Once this magic was weaved into them to remove it would kill them and she never wanted to be responsible for another person's death. So she would weave the potential of this magic into someone else to finish the task for her.

And so it began many hundred years before our current day. Long before, Amaterasu saw that the Jade Warlord would defy her so she searched the future and saw two worthy souls she would give to women, scattered throughout time, in which she would weave her magic into them. Their mission was one that they would know when they were born.

And so it began.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: Enemy's Defeat

Golden Sparrow looked down on her dead body and the man she loved with grief. Sure, the Jade Warlord was dead and he could no longer harm anyone else, yet she also knew that now she would no longer be able to see Jason.

Sparrow had fallen in love with Jason as they traveled to the Jade Warlord's castle to secure the freedom of the Monkey King. Sparrow took part in the journey mainly for revenge's sake but as time grew on she became close to her companions, even the drunken immortal Lu Yan. The man was not all that bad now that she came to think about it. But couldn't help wondering what she was hiding from.

As she looked down she felt a presence behind her, one of power. The energy that radiated from this being made her almost shy away by when the she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around she was instantly comforted. The woman had a beautiful thin face, small nose, green eyes, and small eyebrows that were barely visible. Her thin frame was at ease and the face showed compassion.

"You completed the task you wanted, child," the woman said. "But in the end you found it a cost. And you realized that you should have done more."

"I know," Sparrow sighed in depression. "But I can't do any more now."

The woman raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Can't you?" she challenged. "Don't you know who I am?"

Sparrow looked at the woman but felt no recognition. She did, however, feel that this woman was somehow connected to her life though she couldn't figure out how.

Finally the woman spoke again, and her next words chilled Sparrow to the bone. "Don't think he Jade Warlord is done. He has access to chi magic that is powerful and though his life has ended, it can continue on. And he has the knowledge of how to do that. He is already planning to strike again."

Fear filled Sparrow's eyes at this. "How?" she asked. "How do we stop him."

"You have the same magic too," said the voice. "And the boy whom you love. But you will need time to learn how to use it."

"And what magic is that?"

The woman smiled. "Chi magic of course. Learn to reincarnate yourself. Though you do not know how to master it fully you should be able to get by this time until the time comes to know more about the magic you posses. Granted, it may be at a very high cost in the end. Or perhaps to him."

"Cost?" Sparrow inquired sharply.

"Because you have no master and you don't know how to use the magic fully your memories will be cost for some years. It will be a detriment to your friend there, that is until you remember everything."

Sparrow looked at Jason and when she saw that she had another chance she was willing to take the risk. "What do I do?" she questioned.

The woman smiled and held up her hands. Sparrow mimicked this and placed her palms against the woman's. "I will help you a little on your way this time," the woman said. A burst of light came from the palms of their hands and sparrow's form changed to that of a bird, none other than a golden sparrow. Her form solidified, gaining a little life, and she was flying through the air. She soared over the forbidden kingdom until she came to the clearing where Jason stood in front of the Emperor. She watched, waiting, and finally Jason requested a way back home. Sparrow twittered for joy and as the breath from Jade Emperor engulfed him Sparrow thrust herself forward at the gate, catching the last bit of the fog, and finally she emerged some nineteen years before Jason's departure to her time. It was October 19, the day Jason would be born.

She heard the woman's voice in her ears, the gentle sound of swishing water. "I have a new body for you waiting for your spirit. It will look exactly the same. I sent this woman a dream and she kindly agreed to take you in though from what it seems, she thinks she hallucinated the whole thing. But don't worry, you know what to do."

Sparrow flew to the local hospital where a woman named Erica Trepiticis was in labor with Jason. She saw, through the window, that he was about to be born. Sparrow continued onward and found through the window that the woman destined to be her mother was ready for labor too. Sparrow twittered in satisfaction and thanks.

"What is your name?" she asked the beautiful woman who had helped her into her sparrow form. The communication was fading and she was desperate to know her rescuer.

There was a smile in the woman's voice as she said," Amaterasu. Don't worry, you'll get to know me better someday."

Sparrow twittered with delight and then, gasped as an image came to her, from the immortal goddess of what she needed to do to enter this new body. A teardrop came from the bird but Sparrow knew it needed to be. She tried not to be afraid. After all, this was not the first time.

A cat lay washing itself on the corner and Sparrow knew that Amaterasu had made sure this feline would be here at this exact moment. After all she had needed a physical body to get through the gate and in order to posses this new body she needed to free her spirit from this form. She landed shakily in front of the cat and took deep breaths. The cat noticed her and crept forward.

She tried her hardest not to run away, not to panic, but to remember that this was part of the plan and that she would soon be born again, born to find Jason. The cat hissed slightly and Sparrow locked her muscles tight and prepared for what she knew would happen.

She felt the moment the cat killed her and at last her spirit was free. As her spirit soared up the cat watched her go, and then carried her old body away to eat. "Thank you, cat, and many blessings upon you," she murmured to it, wondering if it could hear and the cat turned back to look at her. "Mrrr." it responded back and Sparrow knew instantly that the cat had understood what needed to be done. It was only following Amaterasu's request. She soared onward and found her knew body.

Finally she was newborn and her mother held her tightly in her arms. "It's a girl," the doctor announced. "What are you going to call her?"

Her mother looked at her long and hard. "Emily," she whispered. The baby fell fast asleep and all memories of the previous life departed from her. She was just Emily.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A New Day

Jason was smiling as he rode his bike down the street, a silver box in one of his pockets. Today was the day he was going to propose to Emily.

He had told no one about his journey to take the staff back to the Monkey King for no one would believe him. Only those like Hop, (who was really Lu Yan) and the Silent Monk who was really the Monkey King knew. That and certain enemies that he really didn't want to think about.

As he stopped at the shop Golden Sparrow he grabbed the box and took a deep breath. "This is it," he murmured. "I can do this. All I have to do is propose and she'll say yes."

Jason had been in love with her for a very long time. Ever since his journey to the Forbidden Kingdom had ended in tragedy and he had seen his true love's face again he was just as determined to preserve the reincarnation of Sparrow. He couldn't lose her again. It would cause too much grief and he didn't know if he could bear it.

Finally he gathered the courage and he knocked on her door. An older woman, her mother, answered the door. "Jason," she said in surprise. "Come on in. Sparrow's finishing up her shift."

"Thank you," Jason replied and when he came in he saw the Chinese girl in a red shirt and blue jeans. She looked absolutely gorgeous in it and he wondered what she'd look like in a wedding dress.

Suddenly Emily looked up. "Jason!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I wondered if you'd be stopping by."

"How much time do you have left?"

"Not long. About fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes was good. That would give him a good amount of time to decide on a pick up line before his proposition to her, not that he hadn't been thinking about it. He had been thinking about it ever since he got the ring from Ardor's around the corner last Wednesday. And since then he had been waiting to find the perfect time. In between his lessons in which Lu Yan taught him more of the martial arts, plus Yen and Chi magic, which was good. He was already several levels high and he wanted to impress Emily with surprise fireworks coming out of nowhere, or to say to her, 'Look at this birdbath,' and fifteen seconds later for it to start sprouting water like a water fountain. Then she would say, 'Jason, did you do that?' and he would say, 'Maybe?' and she would ask, 'How.' He smiled at this. Yes, this would make the perfect proposition, and he knew just the birdbath he wanted to use.

Finally his girlfriend got off work. "Would you like to take a walk with me?" Jason asked her and Emily smiled.

"I would like that," she replied.

Jason smiled. "Good, I know the perfect place to go." And he led her down the narrow, clean and organized street, not a single bit of trash in view. Then he took a right, and there was the birdbath. "Look over there," he told and she looked. As she was faced away from him he lifted his arm slightly and the water tumbled upwards high into the air before arcing and coming down. He started another water shower in the center of the first one and stopped when Emily whispered, "Beautiful."

She turned to him. "You did that, didn't you?"

Jason looked away innocently, playing games. "You think I did?"

Emily smiled. "Sometimes I dream of you, as if I had known you my whole life. I dream that I lived in ancient china and you were holding a golden staff."

Jason snapped his attention and looked directly at her. "You do?"

Emily chuckled. "Why are you looking that way? It's only a dream."

Jason didn't know what to think. Should he tell her? "And how does your dream end?"

Emily smiled. "Don't think too much on it. It's just a dream." Then she turned away from him and stared at the birdbath again. When she turned back to him Jason was on one knee and he had a box with a beautiful ring in it. "Oh!" she gasped in surprise.

"Will you marry me?" asked Jason, and he hoped he was portraying confidence to her.

Emily took the ring. "It's about time you ask. I most definitely will." Then she took the ring out and put it on her hand.

Amaterasu looked down on them. "All goes well, she whispered. She seemed to be flying above them in the air and she knew that they couldn't see her. Suddenly she swished her hand through the air and she saw the white-haired woman in ancient China, the monkey king trapped in ice. "Oh dear," she whispered. "Things may not end well after all."

Jason took Emily to the place where he worked. Lu Yan (as Hop) had offered him a job and he had delightedly agreed. This would also help to make their training more secret for if he went to the shop then everyone would assume he was going there to start some shift. But as he stepped in the shop he was met with a surprise. He stood there shocked, not knowing what to say, and finally he stammered, "Lu Yan?"

"Jason!" said a much younger voice. Hop had somehow changed back into his younger self, with nothing else than wine in his right hand. "Good to see you!" He staggered towards Emily as if drunk though Jason knew otherwise. "And who is this?"

Emily smiled. "I'm Jason's fiancée, see?" And she lifted up her hand to show him the ring.

Some emotion played across Lu's face which Jason' couldn't understand. "Congratulations," he finally was able to say, and then, "Jason, come with me. My grandfather left some instructions for you." He took Jason by the ear and they went into a separate room, Lu pacing back and forth. "What were you thinking?" he finally said.

"I was thinking about getting married! And how is it that you're young again?"

Lu waved his hand in dismissal. "Immortals are capable of faking their deaths and looking as if they're injured, though of course you've seen that. But we can also appear any age we want to be; we can only take the appearance, though, of what we would have looked like had we aged on."

"You mean you can look like a child?"

"That's besides the point!" Lu snapped. "You can't marry her!"

This struck Jason hard. "What?' he asked in shock.

"You can't marry her! At least not until she remembers all of who she is!"

"Why?" Jason asked, anger flooding through him.

Lu looked gravely at him. Then he took a bottle of wine out. "Oh no, I'm not becoming an immortal!"

"I don't have a choice now. Both you and her must become like this, especially since its becoming so hard to work with both of you?"

"And what will I tell her?"

"Don't worry about that. I've got it covered!" Lu started to go out the door but Jason held him back.

"What's going on?" the young man asked his mentor. "You're not telling me something."

Lu sighed. "Somehow the Jade Warlord got reincarnated and he remembers all of who he is. And he's after the both of you. That's why I was trying to keep you two separate, together you're a target. And Emily is vulnerable since she doesn't remember who she is. If she did she would be able to fight as strong as you."

Jason had gone pale. "Do you think he remembers about the Jade darts?"

"I hope not."

Lu and Jason walked out and Lu lifted the wine bottle out. "A wedding present and tribute to both of you," he told Emily and poured out some wine to drink.

Emily smiled sheepishly. "It's kinda early, don't you think?"

"That's because it's an early gift. Cheers!"

Each of them had a glass.

Ni Chang was halfway around the world, her eyes closed as she watched them. "Clever, Lu Yan." She smiled in pleasure that they did not know she was watching them. "But you have no idea what I have planned. And you will have to rescue your friend eventually. Why, you've just made it easier for me."  
She opened her eyes and as vision flooded her, she perceived that she was in a dark tavern. She got up from her drink and left change on the table. The she exited the door, mischief in her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: No Mercy

**Please not that I do not own the Forbidden Kingdom, or anything associated with it.**

The man was one was muscular but lithe, of Chinese origin, and with black hair flowing down his sides. The man was one that most people stayed far away from, his cold, unfriendly eyes something that people felt as well as saw.

But such was his fate since his last death, no, his murder. He pictured in his head a woman, Emily, but she was different then. Her fierce countenance had looked at him as she prepared to kill him with a jade dart that was specially made by her. And she was the only one who knew how to make it.

The witch, Ni Chang, had somehow made sure that he had reincarnated. But he did not have his immortality back, at least not yet. The Jade emperor had banished him, even in his reincarnated form, and so he had responded by learning chi magic. As it happens, you didn't need to be immortal to learn chi magic. Then he had cast out the Jade emperor, while still a mortal, and the man was wandering who knows where, unable to get back.

Then there was also the problem with Ni Chang, whom he was in debt to. Because she hadn't succeeded in getting the immortal elixir, she was holding him responsible and she still wanted it. That was the only reason she had 'befriended' him, if you could call it that. He was in debt to her doubly. For that reason she had teamed up with him and together they had taken care of the Monkey King, keeping him drugged on a love potion that made him adore the witch on bended knee, giving her anything she wanted, even peaches to make the immortal elixir. But there was still an ingredient missing that couldn't be found anywhere else and they knew that they had to take care of the mortal problem, mainly Emily and Jason, before they could complete their mission for Emily and Jason would interfere. With them alive they would accomplish nothing. It was imperative that they be dead.

But then Lu was there to, protecting them. He had spied his despicable pawn shop in one of the streets and he knew that with Lu teaching the boy chi magic that he would have to be careful. But Emily might be more easily targeted, for she seemed to remember nothing of her former life and that would make her vulnerable. Like him, she had lost all memory after reincarnation. But it could be brought back. After all, Ni Chang had spent countless hours raising him from a baby to a grown man and then using her magic to assist in bringing his memory back. It was only when he remembered who he truly was that the rage and anger had begun to develop. His empire was lost and gone and he so cherished it and the power he had once had.

Then there were the abilities and chi magic he had had before he had remembered who he was. It was like he had been born with them. According to Ni Chang, they were even there when she had discovered his cradle after murdering his father and mother of this life. He didn't mind that. That couple had served their purpose in bringing him back. Not that they had a choice...

So he had to be careful for the reason that Sparrow's fighting abilities would still remain, but perhaps they were dormant, waiting to be used. All abilities developed from previous lives always returned and there was no way to stop that. However, if you didn't have the ability beforehand, you would have to develop it, and once you developed it it would be with you forever, even in your next life. So now that Jason had learned chi magic he would have chi magic forever. He smiled to himself. If Sparrow found herself using the abilities and saw that Jason wasn't surprised, how would Jason respond? Would he tell her? He hoped not. He was counting on that.

He walked down a narrow dark alley, waiting for someone and suddenly a young woman with pure white hair was at his side. "Ni Chang?" he greeted formally, but somewhat coldly.

"Show some respect, milord, for I am now your mentor. You are in debt to me, remember?" A horrific smile formed on the witch's lips and she seemed delighted that she was now the master serving _him_ on errands.

"And what is next?" the Jade warlord asked.

"Mitchel, Mitchel, you have no patience, do you?"

"I am in debt to an inferior. What do you expect?"

"Watch yourself!" she snapped coldly. "In case you haven't forgotten, I could have left you without your memories. I delivered you the staff and you failed to give me the elixir. I _**raised**_ you even though you know my hatred for men. That demands respect as your surrogate mother. I could have let you die a second death without food for what you did to me. You are in debt to me twice, for these two things. An eternal debt because I practically gave you life by raising you when you were helpless to feed yourself, you little mutt! I never had to do any of that. And yet what do I ask in return? Your service and devotion. That is all I have asked." She smiled again and licked her lips like a wolf.

"And sometimes I wonder," Mitchel replied, "Why you simply didn't let me starve out of revenge. But that must have been because you need me in order to accomplish this." He turned to her. "That's the case, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "It makes no difference. We are allies only, not friends. We need each other for the glory and power we both want. I have learned chi magic on my own but you have been a master of it longer than I have, even with the magic to sustain me from aging over hundreds and thousands of years. And even then, that is not immortality. I am still vulnerable."

"Of course," the Jade warlord replied softly.

"Do not underestimate me," the woman warned suddenly, a dangerous manner in her tone, more than before. "I can still kill you. Do you want me to do that? You're more vulnerable than I am."

"And what would you do with me gone? What of your plans then?"

"I make sure your reincarnated again until you submit to me!" She turned her back on him, getting ready to leave. "No excuses; complete the mission successfully, or you'll wish you had."

Then she was gone and the Jade warlord sighed. He had a mission to complete.

Emily was in the shop closing up with Jason helping her. It had been a tough, but good day with lots of customers. Suddenly there was a black blotch near the window. "Hey! We're not open!" she called out.

The next few moments happened quickly but her mind slowed it down. The glass windows broke; her mother screamed and ran for cover. Twelve men ran at her with what looked like swords and next thing she knew she was battling them, Jason fighting by her side. 'I know how to fight?' she questioned herself as the moves came by instinct. She struck out, parried blocks, kicked, punched, leaped, and spun around, summersaulting around the shop a few times as she fended off her attackers.

Suddenly one of them grabbed her from behind. "How do you make it girl? What is the recipe?"

"The what?" she shouted back, and then wriggled out of his grips. "The recipe to make a jade dart!" he shouted back and struck out with his sword. She ducked and went underneath the blade, no harm done to her.

Jason screamed in fury and she got the idea that he knew something that he wasn't telling her. He chased them out and as Sparrow spied a few dart-looking hairpins she through three it at the retreating invaders to take them down so the police could arrest them. They fell down when it hit their legs, groaning slightly, and she gasped in surprise. They had been knocked out when they fell to the floor, but as she looked at them there was nothing wrong with them, nothing life threatening. But what was most surprising was that she could through it with such accuracy, let alone three at once. "How did I do that Jason?" she looked at him in panic. "How did I do that?"

"Never mind!" he grumbled furiously. "We have to go!"

He took her by the hand and next thing she knew, she felt like she was falling. There were still in their original clothes but the scenery had changed, a beautiful green landscape with trees dotting the distant. "Where are we?" she asked Jason but he turned around and didn't say a word. Instead he began walking away.

She looked around in wonder once more before following him. "Where are we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own the Forbidden Kingdom**

Chapter Five: The Forbidden Kingdom

Amaterasu looked in a pool of water that showed Jason Tripiticus and Emily. "Hmmm," she said allowed to herself. "They both have made it back safely so far, despite the enemies attack." Then she slapped her hand against the water and a new image formed, one of a furious Ni Chang as the woman reprimanded the warriors, more especially the former Jade Warlord.

"You fool!" Ni Chang hissed at Mitchel. "Our plan relied on them being dead and instead you allowed them to get away!"

Mitchel snorted. "It's hardly my fault," he retorted. "If your stupid plan had worked then we wouldn't have needed to worry whether or not Jason and Sparrow interfered."

"Don't you talk that way to me!" snarled the witch back.

"And if it's true?"

Ni Chang slapped the Jade Warlord across the face. She had worked so long and hard for this and she couldn't have all this precious planning going down the drain! What was she to do with the incompetence of Mitchel and his little gang of boys?

She glanced at the Monkey King who was stumbling around the kitchen, drunk on the love potion she fed him once every 300 years. She sighed; he would need more soon if she was to keep him under her control. And unfortunately the love potion didn't have the effect she wanted. Instead of divulging all the secrets she wanted him to, he only divulged some of them and acted like a fool the rest of the time. But what could she do? That was the only thing she could do to keep him from escaping for she had many things that she did and she didn't want to have to babysit him all the time. But because of the love potion when she ordered him to stay, he stayed. Now he was basically a slave to her, doing all the cooking and cleaning for her because he thought he _**loved**_ her.

Suddenly an idea popped into her head. Maybe there was something else she could do to get rid of Jason and Emily. But it had to work on the first try because if it didn't she was in a world of hurt. "Mitchel," she whispered in her evil whisper.

The Jade Warlord looked up. "Yes," he replied in a sneering manner. "I assume you have another plan, one that doesn't involve failure."

"And I would watch your tongue if I were you," she snapped back. "I could easily cut it off when you are sleeping." She paused savoring the fact that she was now his superior. "But yes," she replied. "I do have a plan. I want you to use the Monkey King to lure Jason and Emily here. And when they are here, we will kill them!"

Jason and Emily were walking through a dense forest. Emily was frustrated. What was this place? And why did it look so familiar? "Jason!" she called out. "I need to stop and rest."

"We can't stop," Jason replied. When Emily groaned in frustration he replied, "I know that this isn't the ideal date but we need to keep moving."  
"Technically this isn't even a date," she muttered. "This is me following you goodness knows where and you keeping things from me."

Jason stopped and turned around when he heard this. When Emily apologized for saying this he shook his head. "No," he replied. "Your right. I have been keeping things from you, for your protection."  
Emily stared at him furiously. "I knew it!" she shouted. Then she gave him a dark look, one of pain and anger. "You've been seeing another girl, haven't you," she accused.

Jason flinched. "No," he responded truthfully.

But Emily wouldn't believe him. "Don't you lie to me Jason Tripiticus!" she shouted. "I know you've been acting strange for a few weeks, Always saying you've got to go, you have to go to work or something!" She swallowed in frustration and betrayal. "Who is it?" she whispered. "And if you love someone else, then why did you have to propose to me? Why couldn't you have broken off the relationship? Why did you have to play games with my emotions?"

Jason looked at her, unknowing what to say. How could she think that he loved someone else when she was the only one he loved? And how could she say that he'd been acting strange for a few weeks? True, he had to go places often without saying things to her because of the secret of his training with Lu Yan, his training in chi magic, but could she really believe that he'd chose some other woman above her?

"Emily," he whispered pleadingly. But she turned away. "Emily, he begged. "I've not been seeing anyone else. It's just, these last few weeks have been stressful especially with Lu Yan's hints that something bad was going to happen and I was so worried about you but I didn't want you to worry." He wondered if the truth that was in his voice could calm her fears but he didn't think so. And now that he thought about it, it was almost as if Lu Yan knew this was going to happen. All the hints he'd been dropping him. But why didn't he just tell him straight, like he did with other things?

Emily still didn't believe him. "Look," Jason tried another way. "There was one time when I loved someone as much as you."

Emily whipped around, looking straight at him. "I knew it!" she shouted.

Jason held up his hands to get her to calm down so that he could finish. "Do you remember those dreams you had, of living in ancient China?"

"Yes," she responded, still angry.

"And I have a good reason to guess that I was in those dreams."

Emily's mouth flew wide open at this. "How did you know?" she asked incredulously.

Jason smiled. "Do you know her name? The girl from the dream?" When Emily shook her head Jason continued. "Her name was Golden Sparrow and those dreams are true."

Emily started looking at him like he was crazy. But then, as this sunk in, her chin became hard and she stared at him in anger. "I guess those dreams are telling me that you are in love with another woman and that's the woman you're in love with!"

Jason flinched. She didn't get it. "Yes, I'm still in love with her, but you haven't heard everything."

"And what more do I need to hear?" Emily shouted. "You've been cheating on me!"

"No I haven't! Will you please listen?" Jason exclaimed. When she calmed down he began to explain, "She died, some time ago."

But that didn't have the affect he was hoping for. "What?" Emily yelled. "So I'm just a replacement? I'm only the second best? Aren't I good enough?"  
"You're not getting the point!" Jason yelled back. Then he sighed, calming down. "A long time ago, when Lupo attacked me, he saw a golden staff in my hand. That staff had chi magic and it pulled me back into a place called the Forbidden Kingdom in Ancient China, where we are now." And Jason gestured to their surroundings. "It's only recently that I'm learning chi magic secretly, with Hop, which is where I've been going and when I've been telling you on the phone that I have to go. But, truthfully, the only way last time that I could have gone to the Forbidden Kingdom is with that staff." Jason sighed a bit and then stared at her. "And that's where I met her."

He spoke with conviction, trying to get her to realize who she was. "I was just a little boy in teahouse then, when I met her," he told her, using words she had once spoken to him so long ago before Jason had gone to face the Jade Warlord alone. "Not the kind she would stand and fight with. But as we journeyed, for some time, probably months, I learned to fight, and we fell in love."  
There was grief in his eyes and he noticed that Emily couldn't help but be curious. "What happened then?" she asked softly, believingly.

Jason stared at her in grief. "We were trying to return the staff to the original owner, the Monkey King. The Jade Warlord ruled then, and he was a tyrant. He... he murdered her family, so she wanted revenge. She came with us because she wanted to kill him.

"As we were journeying, one of our friends, Lu Yan, was injured."

"Lu Yan?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, the one you met. He's actually Hop to; he can control his aging, make him look young or old, but that doesn't matter. Anyway, Lu Yan was injured and up until that point we thought he was one of the eight immortals. It wasn't until then that we found out that he wasn't so we got medical help. We found out then that there was an elixir of immortality and I knew if I got it, then he would survive. He would become immortal."

"What happened then?" Emily asked.

Jason grimaced. "I wanted to get the elixir right away, even though that meant facing the Jade army. But one of our companions, the silent monk, thought it better to wait until there was no moon because then we would have a better chance. I thought Lu would be dead by then, so I went alone. Then the both of them came after me, a fight erupted, we got the elixir, and needless say she went after the Jade Warlord. He injured her, and well, she handed me a poison dart to kill an immortal, so I finished the task for. But it was too late. Sparrow died in my arms."

Jason had tears streaming down his face as he said this. "The Jade emperor returned to establish order because of the Jade Warlord's defiance to him, and I asked him if there was anything that he could do for her, but there wasn't."

Emily also had tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know, I didn't realize..."

Jason started smiling gently. "But you don't have to," he whispered to her. "I thought all was lost. The Jade emperor sent me back, and I saw her again." He took Emily's face in his hands and watched shock cross her face.

Jason smiled. "I knew you the moment I saw you. _**You**_ are Golden Sparrow._** You**_ are the reincarnation of Golden Sparrow."

**Okay, so that's all for now. I'll end this on a cliffhanger. Do you like it? Read and review, please.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Denial

Emily looked at Jason with wide eyes. Finally, after some of the shock had worn down, she whispered, "What?" Disbelief was on her face and she turned away from him, walking away. "I'm no fool, Jason!" she shouted.

"No!" he called out. "It's true! I swear it is! I'm not lying to you! Emily?" He ran after her, desperate, the fear of losing her on his mind. "Emily, come back!" he called. "Listen," and he caught up to her, grabbing her arm, forcing her to turn around.

"Let go of me, Jason!" she shouted, pulling away from him and her struggles hurt Jason.

"I'm not lying to you, Emily, I swear." He glanced around desperately, hoping to prove it to her. "Look, we'll go to a village, and if they recognize you, will you believe me?"

Sparrow thought on this. "Maybe," she answered skeptically. "But only if you can prove it for certain."

Jason immediately lightened up. "All right! Well, I know just where to go. Stay close to me, I don't want to lose you again. This can be a very dangerous place."

Emily rolled her eyes, frustrated. "Like I believe you," she muttered.

Jason turned to her. "Haven't you wondered at all those abilities that you can't explain? It's not as if you received any training on how to fight. It's from your last life."

Emily stopped when she heard this. She thought on how trusting Jason had been with her previously, and yet so secretive. He seemed to know her likes and dislikes before she had even told him. And then there was Lu Yan. For some strange reason, it did seem like she had known him before. And the way he acted it was as if he knew her but didn't want to admit that he knew her.

Memories from her previous life, about watching Jason train with the silent monk who was really an incarnation of the Monkey King, and with Lu Yan flooded her. She remembered that she had once mocked him because he was so frightened and useless, unable to defend himself. Then, as he was learning and growing as he mastered the various arts she remembered another woman with white hair chasing them. She seemed to know the girl, and seemed to want to be the one to kill her.

She remembered losing her family in her previous life, and how, out of grief, she turned to revenge, becoming an assassin and taking out some of the Jade Warlord's most trusted mortal advisors. She also remembered that that was what had killed her. And the Monkey King had warned her that her vengeance would do this to her.

Most importantly, she remembered falling in love with Jason, their unspoken words, the things that she wanted to say but never got the chance. She remembered riding side by side as he went to return the enchanting staff to the Monkey King while he was yet imprisoned in stone. She remembered seeing her face in the water, the exact same face that she had now, but perhaps slightly different.

As she wondered on all this, she couldn't help but to start believing. "Jason," she asked.

He perked up immediately. "Yes, Emily?"  
"I could throw darts in my previous life, couldn't I?" And she turned to face him.

Jason looked at her in surprise. "Yes, you could," he answered. "I remember it very well. When we first met, that was how you saved me. You took out a couple soldiers with your darts."

Emily chuckled. "Yes, I remember now. And I remember that very well. Lu Yan was trying to get you to jump from a roof because of all the soldiers coming after you. You refused to jump until the last minute. If I hadn't have thrown those darts, you would have been dead. That golden staff got us into a lot of trouble, didn't it?"

Jason laughed a little. "Yes it did. It got many people pursuing us."

Emily frowned suddenly, as the memories sparked through her. "Jason, who was that white haired woman we came across?"  
Jason's face suddenly darkened. "The white-haired witch, also known as Ni Chang. She hated men, not that I blame her. I did some research on her when I came back to Boston and I found out that she was wronged by some men, more especially the man she fell in love with. That's why she hates us." He looked at Emily wonderingly. "You remembering now, aren't you?"

Emily smiled proudly. "Yes, yes I am."


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Forbidden Kingdom. But I had to do a lot of research on the internet for this chapter. You'll see why.**

Chapter Seven: Secrets

(Ni Chang Point of View)

Ni Chang wandered on horseback with her minions following her. She grinned. She knew something that the others didn't.

"Where are we going?" the former Jade Warlord asked.

Ni Chang smiled. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you everything? After all, I'm sure that even you don't tell me everything." She smiled at this. No one had to know. Her condescending tone may have disgusted the Jade Warlord who once held status, but he had no idea the half about her. After all, who was he but once an immortal?

She thought in glee. There was no way that Jason could challenge her. Even the Jade emperor wouldn't stand a chance. There was a reason she didn't die on that cliff.

As they journeyed on she came to a river of water. Then, flying over the river she beckoned her men to do the same thing.

A man waited on the other side. Mitchel frowned. "I thought you didn't like men?" he said.

The witch smiled. "But he is not a man, don't you see? Even the Jade emperor is not a man, he's more than that. But then again, he's both male and female..."

The man, who was dressed in all white, had some sunglasses on. But when he took them off Mitchel stepped back in fear. "What's wrong with him?" some whispered behind the man.

Ni Chang smiled. "She doesn't know yet?"

"Who doesn't know yet?" asked Mitchel. "And why are you hanging out with this demon?"

"He's not a demon?" Ni Chang cooed.

"No," the strange man replied in a powerful voice, but it seemed to have a female counterpart as well. "Her time is long since over. We have kept it from her." The strange man looked at Mitchel and his blood-red eyes seemed to pierce through him. Mitchel shivered. "Quite a... group you've picked up there."

"And as long as you do your part there shall no longer be a Forbidden Kingdom or a China!" the witch hissed.

The stranger seemed to glow. "All in due time," he replied in a voice that seemed to be made of roaring water that flows down a river. Then his shape shifted. His head became elongated and he developed pointy ears. When the transformation was complete the stranger was a giant female fox. She growled and then loped off, sending prey scurrying for cover.

Once again the Jade Warlord shivered. "I don't know what I've gotten myself into," he muttered.

One of the men looked at Ni Chang in fear. "Who was that?" he asked in a trembling face with trembling lips.

Ni Chang smiled. "Her name is Inari."

(Jason Point of View)

Jason and Emily continued to make their way to a small village that the man knew was on the outskirts of the Forbidden Kingdom. He was surprised. Emily was able to keep up with him. But then again back when she was Golden Sparrow she did have a lot of stamina.

He looked back and saw a determined expression on her face, one mixed with differing expressions as various memories swept through her. Sometimes they were ones of joy and happiness. Sometimes it was peace and calm. Sometimes it was fear, at other times anger and hate. And at other times it was love – love for him he knew.

He sighed as he looked back at the small village in the distance. "We'll need to buy some horses," he said in fluent Mandarin.

Emily smiled, replying back in Chinese. Then Jason heard her think, using one of the many skills he had developed, 'So that's how he learned the many Chinese dialects that he knows! It's from when he traveled the Forbidden Kingdom. But then again I remember...' And a memory flooded her, one of Jason speaking to her, his language very efficient by then. 'It's too bad the language has changed somewhat. Then again, he did pick up the modern dialects very fast.'

Jason had a huge grin on his face. He would never let her know that he was listening in on his thoughts. But he loved how she thought highly of his way of talking. 'She thinks my voice sounds pretty when I speak Chinese?' he asked himself. 'Huh.' Then Jason thought better about it and was embarrassed for listening in on his fiancé's thoughts.

Emily was very fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, more fluent than Jason was in both dialects. But then again that's because she grew up with it. Her whole family spoke Mandarin and Cantonese, and English since they were living in the US. Her parents were immigrants from China, gaining citizenship in the US many, many years ago. They spoke English very well, coming from a well-to-do family in China. In fact, they were descended from the last emperor that China had, back when they had royalty still. Had it been ninety years ago their lives might have been in danger. But now the danger had died down, though no one thought much of Chinese royalty. It was a miracle that her family had managed to stay in china all that long. Had the line of Chinese emperors continued, Emily would have been a notable princess of China. Not that she would have been Empress or anything. Jason didn't think they would have let her, despite her being the firstborn and an only child. They only let males take the throne, which was a pity, Jason thought. She would have made a great empress. But then again, had she been empress, he probably wouldn't have been allowed to date her.

During the time that her family had stayed in China, after the Chinese royal family had been booted from the throne, they had kept a substantial amount of help. It was no wonder they had so much money. But Emily's family hid the fact that they were billionaires by living in the most humble of circumstances, a neighborhood filled with poverty, run-down shops, and of course, a store that could probably use some renovation. Jason didn't understand it. But then again, Emily didn't know that they were billionaires until a few years ago, when she reached adulthood and her family chose to reveal it to her and the fact that she was the heir of it all. They didn't care that she was a daughter, and she was the only heir. Her family was way to Americanized. They had thousands of stocks and bonds, gold and silver hidden somewhere, amongst other things including expensive jewelry that they were going to let Emily wear for her wedding to Jason. According to Emily, they had done this and raised her as if they were poor to keep Emily humble and so that she could understand what others went through and thus be generous. Emily was grateful; it made her a better person. When Emily had kids some day she wanted to do the exact same thing.

"Almost there," said Jason.

Emily smiled. "Good. I could use a drink of water."

(Ni Chang Point of View)

Ni Chang had left her men to make a camp somewhere. She expected it to be done when she got back. But first, there was something she wanted to do. She felt glee inside her. It was time for her to take this a step further.

She journeyed through the woods, making her way back to the river. But when she got to the river she looked behind her to see that no one was watching. When she saw no one there she stuck out her hands and the river stopped flowing. Then she walked across, smiling, and as she stepped onto the bank the river began flowing with again with a thud.

She sighed. 'Oh, how I have longed for this day,' she thought. 'Vengeance on all the people I hate! Vengeance on all the _**men**_ I hate!'

She continued walking on.

(Amaterasu Point of View)

Amaterasu was watching Jason and Emily as they trudged up the hill to the village. She smiled. All was going according to plan. But she tensed as she felt someone behind her. She sighed and then turned around.

Ni Chang was standing behind her, triumph on her face. Her face glowed in excitement. "Hello, mother."

Tears went down Amaterasu's face. "Hello Tagiri-hime. I should have known, daughter, that it was you behind this treachery."

**So, did you like the latest chapter? If you want to understand things a bit more, try looking up Japanese mythology. Look up their gods and goddesses. **

**Read and review please?**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own The Forbidden Kingdom.**

Chapter Eight: Tagiri-hime

(Amaterasu Point of View)

Tears went down the goddesses face. "I saw you doing all these things, and yet I would not believe it."

"That's because you were foolish!" Ni Chang hissed.

"You became a witch, so long ago, an evil witch, and I could not bring myself to call you evil."

"Come now, mother!" Ni Chang whispered loathingly. "You saw it coming. You were just in denial! And so you sent others to stop me."

"I had to do something," pleaded Amaterasu.

"And now you're at my mercy mother! You took away my godhood! This is all your fault! You banished me and I reincarnated myself!"

"I couldn't let you remain a goddess, not while you were doing all these things!" Amaterasu wept. She looked at her daughter a long time. "Who's involved with you daughter? You're somehow able to hide things from me, and yet sometimes I can see you and watch you, like when you were scolding Mitchel."

Ni Chang smiled. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you? And what makes you think that others are involved with me?"

Amaterasu gave her daughter a long glare. "I may rule the heavens, by the right my mother and father, your grandparents gave me, but now even I feel the elements turning against me."

Tagiri-hime said nothing. Then, she turned around to go. "You'll know when you feel threatened," she whispered to her mother and then began walking away.

"Wait!" shouted Amaterasu desperately. "Talk to me, daughter! Tell me what you want! Tell me what you're planning!"

"Never!" whispered Ni Chang and then she was gone.

Amaterasu stayed behind, weeping. She couldn't bear to go after her daughter. As she wept the heavens rained and the sun darkened. Her brother who was usually mean to her was weeping with her. But he wasn't usually this compassionate. Was he mocking her?

(Jason Point of View)

As they reached the village it began raining. "I wish I had my umbrella," he muttered and then he trudged along beside Sparrow as they made their way up the hill."

"At least we're not wading through mud," Sparrow commented and Jason nodded his head.

"That would be highly unpleasant."

"And not to mention not very enjoyable."  
Jason sighed. "The sooner we get to the village the better. Maybe someone will give us some shelter." And as he said this they entered the village. Jason looked down on the rice fields below them. They seemed to be doing well.

Suddenly the sun turned black and there was no light. People gasped in surprise and fell down in fear.

"What is going on?" he heard people say.  
"Something's wrong!"

"I can't find my baby! I can't see her!"

Jason felt Emily trembling at her side. "What is this? What's happening?"

"I don't know," Jason murmured quietly to her. "But I doubt that an immortal could do this."

"No," Emily replied after a moment of thought. "You're right. Not even the Jade emperor could."

"Then what is it? Is it some power that we don't know of? Do you know something – remember something that could help us?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't know. I don't remember everything, you know?"

Jason began shivering as an image popped into his mind. "Could the witch Ni Chang do this?"

"She's less powerful than the immortals! There's no way that she could!"

Little did they know that that wasn't the entire truth.

(Ni Chang Point of View)

Ni Chang got back to camp as it began raining and the sun turned black. "Excellent, mother," she muttered to herself. "Go ahead, lose your sanity! You're only affecting the 'poor innocent human lives' down here. And for that, they'll be angry." Then she smiled. "But I don't think you've lost your cool like this for a long time. There was only one other time when you refused to shine for the world. And that was before I was born. People have forgotten what it's like to lose the sun's light. And because they're so dependent on the light, they'll be angry with you."

Ni Chang walked over to her tent, feeling her way around. She knew what it was like to walk around in the darkness, so it didn't faze her so much. But she could feel the fear in the minds of the men around her.

"What is this? What is this?" Mitchel was shouting. "Not even the Jade emperor has power such as this, to command the sun and moon! No immortal does!"

Ni Chang smiled and she knew they couldn't see her. The former goddess knew. She knew what was going on. And she once had power as powerful as this until her mother had taken it away from her. She, Tagiri-hime, a great water goddess, daughter of Amaterasu. Oh, how she missed her power. She missed what she could do and though an immortal's powers were puny at least it was something greater than the power she held as a witch. That was partly why she wanted to become an immortal. Its power was on step closer to that of a minor god's or goddesses, even though a minor god or goddess's powers would make an immortal's look dwarfed in comparison.

She never died when Lu Yan cast her down the cliff. She couldn't die if she didn't want to, she once being a goddess. That was the down side of her mother's plan. She couldn't eliminate her entirely. But she could die if she wanted to.

Long ago when her mother cast her out and took away her godhood she traveled time and was reborn among the wolves. She made sure she ended up a witch because at least a witch has power.

Ni Chang gazed up at the black sky in delight. All was going according to plan.

**Read and review please! I decided, since I haven't updated in a while, that I'd give you two chapters.**

**Sorry about not updating in a while!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**And now it's time for a fun chapter.**

**I don't own the Forbidden Kingdom or any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.**

Chapter Nine: Cheers! It's Good to be Immortal!

(Lu Yan Point of View)

Lu Yan grinned widely as he poured himself another generous helping of wine. He staggered around like a drunkard over to the remote and turned the TV on, the modern clothing itchy and uncomfortable compared to the loose clothing he had worn years ago in the forbidden kingdom.

The TV featured a young Jack Sparrow and as the man staggered around like a drunkard Lu Yan laughed, saying at the same time as the pirate on television except in a more drunk manner, "Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" Then he tipped more wine into his mouth, spilling it all over his clothes. He laughed, joyous that his wine could be so delicious, forgetting about Jason and Emily for a minute.

His preoccupied mind savored the flavor of the wine, but to his annoyance he was interrupted on the meditation of the exact combination of jade, cinnabar, and mercury that flowed into his mouth as he heard voices from outside the shop. He thought he recognized them and as one of the boys said, "Yo Aaron, let's see what that old shrink Hop is up to!" the man growled.

"Lupo," Lu Yan disgustedly spat out and he got up without much effort, his drunken form eager for a fight. It was only because Jason needed to be sent to the Forbidden Kingdom that he had allowed that bully to shoot him. But now it was time for some fun revenge, though he didn't know if this was against the rules of the immortals or not. But for some reason he didn't care.

There was a ding of a bell as the door to the shop opened and Lupo walked in with his gang, no sign of a gun on either of them (not that it mattered). "All right, old man," Lupo shouted, his anger setting in. "We know you're in here. We've got some business to settle."

Lu smiled and staggered forward. Sure, they would think he's drunk and helpless, but he would know better. "Long day," he answered them in slurred speech. "I don't think I'm an old man, do you?"

Lupo took in his rather young form and immediately barreled forward into Lu, his hand around his neck as he threatened, "Where's the old man?"

"What old men?" Lu responded with a wicked grin. "I don't see any old men in here, do you?" Then, despite the fact that Lupo's hand was around his neck, he took a swig from his coconut canteen filled with wine.

"Leave him alone, Lupo. He's just a drunk man," the man's second-in-command responded urgently, hoping to avoid a fight, which was not Lu Yan's intention.

"Shut up!" Lupo responded and Lu immediately mocked his voice saying, "Shut up!" Then he took another drink.

Lupo flicked a knife out of his pocket and immediately the second-in-command stepped forward. "Whoa!" he shouted in panic. "Dude! You don't want to do that this time! Remember what happened last time? Besides, if J-dog found out we were here, we're dead man!"

"Yeah!" another put in. "You pulled a gun on him and he kicked it right out of ya hand!"

"Shut up!" Lupo shrieked. "Where's the old man?" he asked Lu again with the knife against his throat still, despite the protest of the others. But Lupo wasn't fazed.

"That's a pretty knife you've got. You know how to use?" he smirked, still acting drunk at the young man, adding hiccups at the end for an effect. "Big knives hurt people. People who hurt others end up getting hurt worse." He took another drink and wiggled out of the man's hand, heading towards the TV leaving Lupo shocked. No one had dared to address him like that before, not even Jason. Jason just got physical which was why Lupo stayed away from him. Jason policed him now days and Lupo and his gang didn't dare get on Jason's bad side.

But soon Lupo recovered. "Are you testing me?" he roared at the man. "Are you threatening me?"

"Lupo," his lieutenant cautioned.

"Shut up!" Lupo commanded.

"Dude, he's just a drunk. Let's get out of here before something happens or the police show up!"

"No!" Lupo shouted and walked intently over towards Lupo and flipped the man around.

"I wouldn't do that," Lu warned but it went unnoticed by the angry gang leader.

Lupo attempted to punch Lu and the immortal moved out of the way, his wine spilling out onto his shirt. He couldn't help but smirk as Lupo's lieutenant's eyes widened in shock and as the man gasped, "The drunk man can fight? And while he's drunk?"

Because Lupo had missed he ended up punching a glass item and stepped back, holding his fist while gasping. "Ooh," Lu replied condescendingly. "That looks like it hurts."

"Lupo, no!" the lieutenant shouted again but to no effect. Lupo attacked again, kicking, punching, and lunging to no effect. Lu dodged them all in a drunken manner and then caught one of his legs, and twisted it, causing Lupo to collapse onto the floor.

"Still looking for the old man?" Lu grinned.

Lupo got up again and began anew his attack. But Lu swept his legs and Lupo landed hard on a table causing an alarm to go off. The gang looked around in fear as this happened and Lupo gasped as he observed his injured leg.

Once again Lupo got up and attacked but was down in an instant. As Lu stepped forward the gang stepped back.

"Who are you?" Lupo asked incredulously, fear in his now shivering voice. "And where is Old Hop?"

Lu smiled and took a knife out, causing the others to gasp. Surely they thought he was going to kill Lupo. But instead he simply stabbed his heart and pulled it out. "I'm an immortal!" he told them, giving up the drunk act. Then he raised his elixir glass. "Cheers to immortality!"

"But where is Old Hop?" Lupo asked, respect and fear now in his voice.

"You're looking at him!" Lu explained. "I am Old Hop!" Then he shifted forms to the old man they would recognize.

Lupo didn't seem convinced. "The old man could get hurt," he pointed out. But Lu merely took out the knife and stabbed himself again, letting the illusion of blood appear. The gang's eyes widened, and then the wound was gone.

"At the hospital I made it look like it was healing, but it wasn't actually injured. You see? I'm immortal. I can't truly get hurt but sometimes I must give the appearance of getting hurt. Back when I was mortal I could get hurt though."

Suddenly sirens were heard outside. "Oh, no!" Lupo's lieutenant exclaimed. "We're in trouble for sure."

"Not necessarily," Lu offered. "You see, I have an offer. If you promise to give up your criminal ways and help me on a little task then we can be friends and I can get you out of this situation."

"How?" Lupo questioned with suspicion as if he didn't want to trust the man.

But Lu looked at them. "Do we have a deal? I don't have time to dilly dally around and I need an answer. That is unless you'd rather answer to the police?"

Lupo shook his head and looked at his gang. They all nodded. "You have a deal," he told the man.

"You must give up your old acts, earn an honest living, and turn from your criminal ways. And you must be sincere about it."

"Fine!" Lupo snapped.

Lu smiled and changed back to his young form just as a voice outside the shop called out, "Freeze! This is the police! Come out with your hands up!"

"What are you going to do?" Lupo asked with fear as he saw they were surrounded. But suddenly the scene changed around him and they were in the middle of some rice fields, animals lowing on a distant highway. "What is this?" he asked as he and his gang looked around in confusion.

Lu staggered forward, his old habits comforting. "Welcome to the Forbidden Kingdom."

**I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I was gone on vacation without access to everything I needed for a couple of weeks otherwise I would have updated sooner.**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own The Forbidden Kingdom.**

Chapter Ten: Unexpected Arrivals

(Jason Point of View)

Ever since the incident where the sun had refused to shine, people had been terrified. Many had wondered whether the Jade Emperor had anything to do with it, but everyone knew that not even an immortal could do something as powerful as changing the sunlight into darkness.

Jason was disturbed. It seemed as if the trouble had followed him from his time into the time of the Forbidden Kingdom. There was no way that this was separate. "It's a good thing that Sparrow and I are immortal," he muttered to himself. This was somewhat of a comfort and protection for him because now he knew that he certainly wouldn't lose his beloved fiancé to death again. They only way either of them could be killed would be with a Jade dart and only Sparrow knew how to make that. Thus, she was the only one who could kill an immortal. But then again she didn't remember how to make them, only that she had.

Emily's memories of being Golden Sparrow were slowly returning. Jason knew it was only a matter of time before she remembered everything about her former life, including how she had died. The man shivered at this. Even he didn't like remembering Sparrow's death. He couldn't imagine being the one remembering dying, and the pain involved in the experience. He sincerely hoped that this memory didn't affect her in a bad way.

As Jason stepped outside, curious to see what would happen today, he saw the sun high up in the sky. Jason sighed. It was almost as if the sun incident had never occurred. "I wonder what will happen today," he talked to himself. Then, seeing a couple of villagers struggling with bringing the water they had drawn from the river, Jason used his chi magic to levitate it and set it in front of their cottage.

The two ran up to him. "Thank you, kind sir," they said, and the woman and her husband bowed to him, and then ran off to take the barrels of water into their house.

Jason sat down in the dirt. Yes, he remembered the time traveling here very well. True, it was a hard life, but it was also a simple life, one filled with certain luxuries that not even his time had. Oh, how he missed this place! He so wanted to take Emily around and show her the different places they had gone (maybe not the dessert) and then take her out to the tea house where they first met. He had gone back in time to that tea house again and again and he was now good friends with the owners. They welcomed him every time he came.

It was as he was thinking about this that he noticed something unusual in the distance. Many people were traveling to the village on foot. He couldn't see them good enough to distinguish by looks who they were yet, but one was the unmistakable drunken waltz of Lu Yan.

"Lu!" Jason called out and Emily ran out the door the moment she heard him calling.

"Lu's here?" Emily said, shining in excitement and delight. "We have yet to thank him for the wine!"

"Yes," Jason began slowly. "You do realize that he had us drink it so we could become immortal, don't you?"

Emily snorted as if that should be obvious. "Of course I do! I remember him drinking wine all the time, don't I?"

"Ah," Jason responded, glad that she was going back to her former self.

The drunken immortal continued towards them at a steady pace, the others trailing behind in what must have been exhaustion. "Lu!" Emily cried out in delight and hugged him when he finally reached them.

The man hugged them back. "I brought you some helpers, Jason!" he chuckled and then took a swig out of a canteen made of coconuts.

Jason looked behind Lu to see who was trailing behind him and saw the unexpected faces of Lupo and his gang that used to terrorize Boston. As Lupo traveled up the hill to them, he could see the guy struggling to make it up the steep hill where they were. His chest was heaving in exhaustion and by the time he made it to Lu's side, he asked Lu, "Are we there yet?" Then, to everyone's surprise, he fainted.

The others collapsed onto the grass, but they didn't faint. As they took a little rest Lu stared down on Lupo's still figure. "Huh," he responded, completely uninterested, and then he took another drink of wine.

Jason and Emily also stared down at Lupo. "Well," Jason began. "This is unexpected."

(A few hours later)

(Jason Point of View)

Lupo and the gang had been taken into the house where Jason and Emily were staying. When Lupo was placed on the bed Jason and his fiancé walked over to Lu to talk to him.

"I remember some of my last life now," Emily informed him.

"That's good!" Lu responded, and he sat down. "It feels good to get off my feet!"

Jason and Emily also sat down. "I also know that you made us immortal."

"Yeah," Jason replied. "Care to explain more to us about that? Doesn't that mean there are more rules now?"

"Something like that," Lu frowned, considering their response. "I did it for your safety. There is a reason you were brought back, and the only way you can fulfill the prophecy is if you are both immortal."

"Prophecy?" Jason echoed. "What prophecy? About us again?"

Lu nodded. "There is a prophecy that says the seeker and the one reborn will be able to defeat old enemies believed to have been dead."

"I'm not too eager to go there again," Jason replied.

"But surely there is more than that?" Emily exclaimed, still confused. When Lu shook his head she added. "There has to be more going on than that!" Then she and Jason related their experience with the sun blackening.

Lu listened intently. "When I went back in time, it was to a time period after this one, and I heard tales amongst the immortals of this incident."

"Do you know what caused it?" Jason asked.

Lu shook his head. "One can only guess." He sighed and then glanced at Lupo's sleeping form.

"Why bring them?" Jason asked with skepticism. He wasn't too sure whether bringing Lupo along would be a good idea or not. After all, Lupo was a bully. He didn't want to get a bad reputation because of Lupo's actions, and have other villagers afraid of him.

But Lu only smiled, seeming to remember something. Then he poured each of them a glass of immortal wine and held his cup up, the two others confused. "Cheers!" Lu toasted. "To immortality! It's good to be immortal!"

**So, here's my next chapter.**

**Read and review, please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own the Forbidden Kingdom.**

Chapter Eleven: The Great Goddess Tagiri-Hime

(Ni Chang Point of View)

Ni Chang could gloat all she wanted. Soon, after her mother was blackmailed, she would be a goddess once more. And then her mother would see. Amaterasu would see the mistake she made in making her beloved daughter a mortal. And she would pay for it.

The white-haired woman walked around camp, giving orders as she prepared to take the Jade Emperor's throne. That was the first step. Once she did then she would be one step closer to gaining back her goddesshood.

But first, she would have to deal with Jason and Emily. She sighed. There was only one way. She would have to get information first.

The woman closed her eyes and a second later she was in a small cottage, the monkey king in front of her, acting crazy. A large basin was by her side and she drew a steaming potion from it. "Come," she told the Monkey King soothingly, luring him to his doom. "Come have more medicine. This potion will make you feel better. I've prepared it just for you."

"Okay!" the Monkey King giddily replied, bounding over to her like a hyperactive monkey, not acting like himself at all. Ni Chang smiled. She knew why. The potion made him different, gave her control over him. The Monkey King was laughing as he took the cup and drank from it.

His eyes curled upwards and he fainted, groaning. "Want more, want more," he murmured almost incomprehensibly.

Ni Chang carried him over to a chair so that he could rest. She paced around, growing impatient. "Tell me what you know about Jason Tripitikus!" she demanded.

"I already told you," was the response, and then a muffled laugh came. "The witch wants to know more! The witch wants to know more!"

Ni Chang hissed in frustration. "What is he likely to do to stop me!" she yelled.

The Monkey King shrugged. "He'll probably fight you. Bang, bang, boom!" Then he let out more weak laughter, hyper.

Ni Chang sighed. He was of no more use. He had lost it. She growled and transported herself back to her time. "Prepare for battle!" she snapped.

One of her men nodded and sent an eagle into the sky. The eagle soared high above the earth and into a different camp. There, it landed on a wooden stake placed into the ground that was high above the earth. When a man in blood red and gold stepped out, he held out his hand and the eagle soared, circling above for a moment, and then finally landing on his arm.

He took the letter out and red it. "Make way for battle!" he shouted, and the ground began to rumble.

The earth opened up, and many people, riding hideous animals of various sorts came out of the crevices that had formed in the earth. The earth began to tremble again and the land shifted, causing the camp to go upwards a few hundred feet in the air, causing many to gasp in shock. Moments later water flooded in, coming from far away, and gigantic boats with sails were then circling the camp on three sides. The camp was now in the midst of a wide ocean.

The sails were also blood red and gold, and as they came close to the shore, the sun darkened yet again. The earth went completely black and there was no light. But the leader gave the order anyways, many people continuing to come out of the holes that had just formed in the earth, an underground society that had existed for many thousands of years.

"Board the ships!" the man called. "Serve your goddess! Bring her back to her goddess-hood!" He sounded a battle cry and the others pitched in, unsheathing their swords, yelling loudly, eagerly. It was time for them to leave.

"Support your goddess! Make her the queen of the gods!" the man shouted. He had on a samurai outfit, and he looked very young for his age. He was thin, but obviously strong from the many muscles that bulged. He had no mustache and medium red hair. He wasn't Japanese, but he had been raised in Japan. He looked more Irish, but he spoke with a Japanese accent. "It is time for Tagiri-Hime to rule! Overthrow Amaterasu! Her time is over! All the gods and goddesses have spoken and found her weak but her daughter strong! It is time for Tagiri-Hime to rule heaven and earth!"

They shouted once again, a long, drawn out battle cry. Then they shouted praises to Tagiri-Hime, praises of success and gratitude. "Long live Tagiri-Hime! Long live Tagiri-Hime!" they shouted in Japanese and all their native dialects. They shouted in many languages, having come from all over the world, organized to bring Tagiri-Hime victory. "Long live Tagiri-Hime!"

They shouted again and flooded the ships in waves, many falling over the edges and to their deaths in the excitement because they had no light for them to see with. But all in all, the army stayed intact.

They were like ants in number. They were a massive body with one purpose: to destroy and make Tagiri-Hime their queen. They hoisted the sails gladly, turning the ship around to head towards land. But instead of bumping up against the land another earthquake would occur and more land would open up in front of them causing massive amounts of water to flood in and the ships to move without need for the sails on them because of the movement of the water as a path was drilled in the middle of the land to take the deep seafaring ships through with ease. And yet they still had a lot of room to maneuver as if they had been on the ocean.

The Irish looking man moved with ease in the darkness as he went to find his ink bottle, for they all moved around by feel since many of them had never known sight and had grown up in the darkness. Then, writing quickly, he sent the bird in the air who had been trained to fly without sight. In fact, the eagle was blind since birth. She found her way to Ni Chang's outpost in no time. A man took her down and read the note.

He read the note by feeling the paper. It was amazing. Even though the ink was dry, he could feel where the ink was and the shapes the ink made. That was how they read. They didn't need raised bumps to read. They did everything without sight.

He felt his way so swiftly to Tagiri-Hime, and he was practically running towards her. For one living with sight all their lives it would have been an amazing thing that one could move that fast. The way he moved it was as if he were in full light and could see well. Such was the way it was for them. In fact, the only people who had fallen off the ships and into the water were the people who weren't used to moving without sight. "The Dark Army is on the move," he announced to her.

Ni Chang's hair glowed and looked silver in the darkness. She nodded and the man could immediately tell, although he could not see her. He could feel it; he could feel the motions of it and the way that it affected the air waves and everything else around it. "That is all," she told him. "Dismissed.

The man bowed to her and went his way out. Ni Chang closed her eyes, trying to imagine her victory. "Soon," she murmured to herself. "Soon."

**I am really, really sorry that I haven't updated this story in some time. I apologize!**

**So, here's this chapter, and you're introduced a bit to the Dark Army and how they live and work. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Read and review, please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own The Forbidden Kingdom.**

**I apologize for not updating this story regularly, and I promise it will be regular now, as I will rotate the stories that I update.  
**

**I also understand that it's not very long, and I apologize for that. Hopefully the next chapter will be slightly longer.  
**

**Please read and review!  
**

Chapter Twelve: Beginning of the Days of Darkness

(Jason Point of View)

Early the next day when Jason got up, he noticed an eerie glow about the sun. It was almost as if there were a halo about the sun, but it was a halo of blackness. It wasn't anything that was ordinary, that's for sure. Disturbed, he looked away and it wasn't until Lu Yan came out that it was mentioned.

Apparently the villagers were distressed due to it, but because it hadn't gone away, they felt that there was nothing they could do, and thus they warily tended their chores while glancing up at the sky with weary expressions, almost afraid of what it could mean. But children were still fed, clothes mended, and farmers went out to their rice fields to tend to them. It was amazing that anyone could work in these conditions when no one knew what loomed around the horizon.

Jason walked around the village, wondering what he and Emily were supposed to do. Fighting an immortal? No problem! Dealing with something like this where you couldn't even control the sky? Now that's another thing.

'Well,' he thought. 'I guess that there isn't much that I can do. I suppose that the most we can do is find Ni Chang and begin to ask questions, as well as go to the Jade Emperor. Maybe he can give us advice that we can't get anywhere else.' But even then Jason doubted it. He felt that they were dealing with something bigger than before and if they didn't solve this case then it would be the end of everything they knew.

Sighing, he went and found Emily in a deep conversation with Lu Yan about her past. "So, what's next?" Jason asked, wanting direction from his former mentor as if Lu could give it.

Lu shrugged. "We journey on, I suppose. I have absolutely no idea. Remember, in the timeline of immortals I've barely been alive myself."

"And we've been alive even less time than you," Jason pointed out.

Lu shrugged once again, a troubled look he must have been concealing suddenly becoming evident. "True. But that doesn't mean that I know more than you."

Emily sighed. "Then what are we supposed to do if we can't even figure out how to fight whatever this new evil is?"

Lu looked away, fear on his face for the first time, something Jason had never seen before. There was usually that playful look, that casual appearance, even the last time on their last adventure in the Forbidden kingdom. But now even that was gone, replaced by the look one would think that only an aging and exhausted man would give. "We fight," he said simply, unable to give better advice. "Even if we don't know what we're fighting. We still fight, especially for the small villages like these." And with that he gestured to everyone around him, and Jason had a sudden curiosity as to where the man grew up. Perhaps it was in a village like this? Was this like home to him? Was he homesick?  
At least as an immoral who was a Zen master he could pass back and forth through time, but he pitied those who didn't have such capabilities because unless they were taken back the world was ever changing and they moved farther and farther away from home with each step that the took, moving ever so slowly into the future.

Jason was still trying to become a Zen master, but he was still at least ten years off before he was truly sufficient enough to be considered one. But at least he knew some things. And at least he could do small leaps in time. Well, a few hundred years for him was considered a small leap, such as what he'd had to have jumped to get to this time in the Forbidden kingdom. It wasn't like he was jumping a thousand years or so.

But still, even Jason understood where Lu was coming from. When he had first come to the Forbidden kingdom he too was homesick. In fact, if he hadn't fallen in love with the place and country, and for Sparrow for that matter, he didn't know what he would have done. He probably would have perished. It was these kind people, like Lu and Sparrow, taking him in and mentoring him that made it so that he had the skills to survive. He owed his life to them. If it wasn't for them and what they still continued to do for them he undoubtedly would not have survived to go home.

Jason sighed, impatient to get everything over with. "Then perhaps we could leave at dawn?" he suggested.

Lu nodded. "We leave at dawn."

**I know! I'm so terrible! I should have been updating this story more frequently and more regularly, but I didn't! I apologize to all my readers who have waited so long to get an update, and they didn't!  
**

**But I assure you that the days of waiting are over as I am still working on this story, and I will be updating regularly. What I will be doing is rotating between my stories, so that all of them get updated.  
**

**I hope my readers are still with me! I know that I should have been more on top of things!  
**

**Please read and review and know that I still am working on this story! I haven't given up on it!  
**

**Sincerely,  
**

**Firestar'sniece  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't own the Forbidden Kingdom.**

Chapter Thirteen: The Jade Army

(Ni Chang Point of View)

Much like the Jade Warlord had done anciently, Ni Chang watched her troops dispatch into the night. It was now daylight once again, and as she watched them go, she smiled. 'Soon you will see my vengeance, the great Tagiri-hime,' she thought to herself, savoring the moment when she would overthrow her mother. "You will know," she said aloud. "What it's like to be alone for all these years!"

Suddenly, something caught her attention and she seemed to be looking in the distance. She saw Jason travelling with his former companions, and she hissed in frustration.

(Jason Point of View)

A few days had passed and as they travelled through the Forbidden Kingdom, Jason noticed the uneasiness of all the subjects. Nothing could be as disconcerting as having the sun refuse to shine for a while.

The plan was to meet with the Jade Emperor and discuss their options. But first, Jason wanted some answers, including why the sun had blackened.

Sighing to himself, seeing the five elements mountain in the distance, itched to just transport himself and the others there, or 'teleport' as it would have been called in his day and age. It was one of the advantages of being immortal. All they had to do was think of where they wanted to be and then they were there, and anyone else they wanted to bring along.

Except there was one tiny problem. Lu had specifically said 'no' the first time and warned him against it. "We don't know who's watching us," the man explained and at this Jason's eyes widened in surprise as if saying, 'somebody's watching us'? Lu hesitated. "Yes," he admitted. "I think we're being watched, and the thing we need least right now is to attract attention. We want to hide the fact that you two are immortal. It will be our secret weapon."

"What else have you been keeping from me?" Jason asked, some mistrust suddenly appearing. "What else do you know? Do you know who's behind this?"

Lu shook his head. "I don't, and neither does your bride."

Jason shook his head, this experience still playing in his head. He wanted nothing more to forget it. He hated the unknown, and for an immortal, that was even worse than the unknown for a mortal.

Lupo was sleeping under a tree. Surprisingly, he'd calmed down and seemed almost afraid of Jason, Emily, and Lu. Well, it did make sense. Lu did kick his butt. But seeing the sun blacken had scared him out of his wits to, but he wouldn't admit it. He was still trying to play tough like always. Although he wasn't as eager to start a fight, which was a good start.

Laying his head to rest for the night, knowing that they would be to five elements mountain and thus in the presence of the Jade Emperor and Empress the next day, which was a relief to think about, the hairs on his back rose straight up. A twig snapped and he heard a distinct growl. Suddenly, voices in the distance were heard and Jason immediately stood up, noticing the others did the same.

An army crashed through the brush that surrounded them and immediately began attacking. Shocked, Jason stood frozen for a little bit and was stabbed, but he didn't bleed or die, thanks to the fact that he was immortal. Stepping back to where the blade no longer pierced his skin, he began fighting back, for the Forbidden Kingdom and for his bride.

Emily, the old skills of Sparrow resurrected in her, was fighting as well, as was Lu with his usual drunken-like method. But, unfortunately, Lupo and the gang when faced this kind of adversity, turned tail and ran, Lupo being the first to do so and the others following suit. "Cowards!" Jason muttered under his breath. Sure, they would fight as long as they had the advantage and they were sure that they were in a position to win! But when it came to being outnumbered they acted like cowards and ran away, leaving others to defend the camp.

The soldiers were wearing uniforms that Jason had never seen before, and Jason wondered who it could be, and who had sent them. As he fought desperately to make a way so that perhaps one of them could warn the Jade palace, he suddenly was knocked down, there being too many of them, and fresh warriors constantly pouring in. He soon realized that this wasn't just an average army, much like what the Jade Warlord had had. These were trained professionals in the martial arts, and one of their soldiers could easily match the skills of one of them, despite the fact that they were outnumbered. And Jason could tell that a number of them were immortal for they were using chi magic. Lu, who had been fighting of few of them, had fallen due to the fact that these immortals outnumbered them. Whoever had chosen them to fight had selected who would be in this army carefully.

Falling down harshly he fought as they moved to restrain him, putting magical ropes on him that even he couldn't take off. He was helpless, but he struggled none the less. He heard Sparrow get gagged and it wasn't long after that the same thing was done to them.

"Let's bring them home!" someone shouted, more than likely the leader, and Jason felt himself being picked up, a blindfold being put on his head, and he struggled but to no avail. He was too tightly bound.

He felt himself being thrown in some kind of cart, the contact with the hard wood not hurting him since was immortal, but he was surprised to hear the grunt of someone else – Lupo. Evidently he and the rest of the gang that had chosen to flee had been pursued and caught. Jason, without anything to say, did his best to sit up, having no eyesight to help him.  
"Move on!" some command from outside the cart was given, and he heard the door slam shut, the horse whinny, and felt the cart begin to move at rapid pace, the hooves of other horses heard nearby. They were being guarded to the place they were being taken. Their captors didn't want them to escape.

Jason did his best to untie the knots that were holding them with the magic rope. But it was useless. It wouldn't budge. From the muffled shouts he heard in the room he guessed that the others were attempting to do the same thing but without any success.

It seemed like a long time but they finally came to their destination. Shouts were heard outside the cart, and suddenly the squeak of the door was heard. One by one Jason heard his companions being dragged out, and when it was his turn he did his best to struggle, only to get knocked on his head. Well, that did much, didn't it? After all, he was immortal and he couldn't get hurt. But that didn't mean that he couldn't get bound.

Curious to where they were being taken, Jason decided to cooperate a little bit, hoping they would get some answers as to what was going on.

It wasn't until they stood still that they took the gags and blindfold up. Gasping for air, he saw that his companions were there beside him, which comforted him a little. They were inside a dark tent that was only lit up via candlelight.

"Where are we?" Jason murmured softly.

"I don't know," Lu responded. "But wherever it is, it can't be good."

Suddenly a rustling of cloth was heard and Jason and his companions, unable to turn, had no choice but to wait until she walked in front of them to see who it was. As she walked beside him Jason noticed that it was a beautiful woman, who looked somewhat familiar, and _**she had white hair**_.

Ni Chang smiled down on him and his gang. "Hello, Jason Tripitikas. Long time no see, isn't that how the saying goes?"

Jason stood silent.

**I'm sorry that it's been a while since I've updated! But like I said, I'm rotating between my unfinished stories!**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Please read and review! Pretty, pretty please!  
**

**And next time we shall see what exactly Ni Chang wants from them...  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**I don't own The Forbidden Kingdom.**

Chapter Fourteen: Ni Chang's Fury

(Jason Tripitikas Point of View)

Ni Chang walked around Jason Tripitikas, eyeing him through narrowed eyes. "So interesting a culture you are from," she murmured, more to herself. "So... refined. So arrogant. Tell me, how much has been invented in such a short period of time while those of us from the days you call ancient were left to ourselves to work hard, not quite having the accommodations you do?"

Jason said nothing. He merely looked away. He wanted nothing more than to have his life in his control, but that was not necessarily the case.

Suddenly, someone came in and whispered something in Ni Chang's ear. Her expressions changed to fury, ire, and she stormed out without further question, snapping at her guards to keep an eye on them.

Jason glanced at Lu Yan. After a brief shrug he closed his eyes, trying to see what his new immortal powers would do. Would they allow him to see where Ni Chang had gone? Would they allow him to see the future, the past? What would they allow him to do?  
Thinking hard, the boy found nothing and sighed. As he opened his eyes he noticed the guard staring at him curiously, a young man in a strange helmet. From the look in his eyes he looked as if he were blind which puzzled Jason seeing as the man could see him clearly. There was that unusual look in the eyes that only a blind person had. 'Odd,' he thought to himself.

'Why did she leave all of a sudden?' Jason thought to himself. 'Why can't my immortal powers see where she's going, the future, the past? Why do my powers seem blocked?'

As the man tried to communicate with his friends he found that he couldn't, at least not with his powers. It was an odd thing. It was almost as if it were nullified, cancelled by something else. He couldn't explain it. The only way he could communicate was with shakes and nods.

As he did so, though, the man in the strange helmet looked at him curiously, as if he hadn't ever seen anything like this before. Jason began to wonder if the man knew he was communicating with his friends.

Then Jason began to question him. "Why are we here?" he asked dryly, trying to pretend like he wasn't interested.

The man tilted his head strangely. "You will find out when our mistress chooses to reveal that to you."

"So, she's like you commander or something?" Emily put in.

"Not your concern," was the answer.

"Well," muttered Lu. "It looks like you've wasted your time then."

But then the man gave a nasty smile. "That's where you're wrong. Everything has gone according to plan. Has it not? We have you here after all."  
Jason looked up. "So if everything has gone according to plan, then why did Ni Chang look angry?"

The man merely smiled again. "It's not for you to know."

Jason didn't know what to think. He was puzzled. First the strange incident with the sun, then their capture, then Ni Chang's sudden departure, then these strange people. It all had to fit into place somehow, like puzzle pieces! There must be some connection to them all. 'I wouldn't be surprised to find out Ni Chang was behind the sun,' he thought to himself.

"Indirectly," the man replied, and just then Jason realized with a shock that the man could read his thoughts. The guard confirmed it with a nasty smile.

Jason tilted his head. "What do you mean 'indirectly'?"

The man remained expressionless as he replied, "Amaterasu weeps."

"What do you mean by 'Amaterasu weeps?'" Lu Yan asked.

But at that moment Jason and Emily looked at each other. Amaterasu weeps? Amaterasu? There's no way! That's impossible.

'That can't be!" Jason thought. 'It's impossible!'

Amaterasu was a Japanese goddess! And this was a Chinese myth!

This was a Chinese story!

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in some time!**

**Please review! I'd really like reviews!  
**

**And yes, I am going to finish this story, don't you worry!**


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